Turkey

Turkey or Türkiye, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It shares borders with the Black Sea to the north; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq to the southeast; Syria and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Cyprus is located off the south coast. Turks form the vast majority of the nation's population and Kurds are the largest minority. Ankara is Turkey's capital, while Istanbul is its largest city and financial center.

One of the world's earliest permanently settled regions, present-day Turkey was home to important Neolithic sites like Göbekli Tepe and was inhabited by ancient civilizations including the Hattians, Anatolian peoples, Mycenaean Greeks, and others. Following the conquests of Alexander the Great which started the Hellenistic period, most of the ancient regions in modern Turkey were culturally Hellenised, which continued during the Byzantine era. The Seljuk Turks began migrating in the 11th century, and the Sultanate of Rum ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243 when it disintegrated into small Turkish principalities. Beginning in the late 13th century, the Ottomans united the principalities and conquered the Balkans, and the Turkification of Anatolia increased during the Ottoman period. After Mehmed II conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, Ottoman expansion continued under Selim I. During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire became a global power. From the late 18th century onwards, the empire's power declined with a gradual loss of territories. Mahmud II started a period of modernization in the early 19th century. The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 restricted the authority of the Sultan and restored the Ottoman Parliament after a 30-year suspension, ushering the empire into a multi-party period. The 1913 coup d'état put the country under the control of the Three Pashas, who facilitated the Empire's entry into World War I as part of the Central Powers in 1914. During the war, the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian subjects after its defeat in the war, the Ottoman Empire was partitioned.

The Turkish War of Independence against the occupying Allied Powers resulted in the abolition of the Sultanate on 1 November 1922, the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne (which superseded the Treaty of Sèvres) on 24 July 1923, and the proclamation of the Republic on 29 October 1923. With the reforms initiated by the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey became a secular, unitary and parliamentary republic. Turkey played a prominent role in the Korean War and joined NATO in 1952. The country endured several military coups in the latter half of the 20th century. The economy was liberalized in the 1980s, leading to stronger economic growth and political stability. The parliamentary republic was replaced with a presidential system by referendum in 2017.

Turkey is a regional and newly industrialized power, with a geopolitically strategic location. Its economy, which is classified among the emerging and growth-leading economies, is the twenty-third-largest in the world by nominal GDP, and the eleventh-largest by PPP. It is a charter member of the United Nations, an early member of NATO, the IMF, and the World Bank, and a founding member of the OECD, OSCE, BSEC, OIC, and G20. After becoming one of the early members of the Council of Europe in 1950, Turkey became an associate member of the EEC in 1963, joined the EU Customs Union in 1995, and started accession negotiations with the European Union in 2005. Turkey has a rich cultural legacy shaped by centuries of history and the influence of the various peoples that have inhabited its territory over several millennia; it is home to 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is among the most visited countries in the world.

Turkey’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Turkish global shipments during 2021. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Turkey.

• Vehicles: US$25 billion (11.1% of total exports)
• Machinery including computers: $20.8 billion (9.2%)
• Iron, steel: $17.1 billion (7.6%)
• Electrical machinery, equipment: $12 billion (5.3%)
• Gems, precious metals: $11 billion (4.9%)
• Knit or crochet clothing, and accessories: $10.8 billion (4.8%)
• Plastics, plastic articles: $10 billion (4.4%)
• Articles of iron or steel: $8.8 billion (3.9%)
• Mineral fuels including oil: $8.5 billion (3.8%)
• Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $7.5 billion (3.3%)

Turkey’s top 10 exports accounted for under three-fifths (58.4%) of the overall value of its global shipments.

Turkey’s Top 10 Imports

The following product groups represent the highest dollar value in Turkey’s import purchases during 2021. Also shown is the percentage share each product category represents in terms of overall imports into Turkey.

• Mineral fuels including oil: US$50.7 billion (18.7% of total imports)
• Machinery including computers: $31 billion (11.4%)
• Iron, steel: $27.6 billion (10.2%)
• Electrical machinery, equipment: $20 billion (7.4%)
• Plastics, plastic articles: $17.6 billion (6.5%)
• Vehicles: $15.6 billion (5.7%)
• Organic chemicals: $9.3 billion (3.4%)
• Gems, precious metals: $7.1 billion (2.6%)
• Pharmaceuticals: $6.9 billion (2.5%)
• Aluminum: $6.6 billion (2.4%)

Turkey’s top 10 imports accounted for well over two-thirds (70.9%) of the overall value of its product purchases from other countries.

Each of these vessels indulges in close-coast or seagoing trade for oil and other cargo. The country sees 169 964 port visits including vessels of various sizes. A unique factor is Turkey’s contribution to almost 10% of the global ship recycling capabilities.

Shipping goods from Turkey

There are two ways of shipping cargo from Turkey to the EU Member State and the US: by sea and air. There is also train and road freight in terms of shipping to the EU.

Sea freight from Turkey

The most affordable way of shipping goods on long distances is sea/ocean freight. You can choose FCL or LCL transportation (Full Container Load or Less than Container Load). As for shipping lines, you can choose, for example:

• MSC
• Maersk
• Hapag Lloyd
• ONE.

Airfreight from Turkey

If you import perishable or luxurious goods, the best option is air freight. Although it is the most expensive mean of transportation (around five times more expensive than sea freight), the transit time is very short (several days). You can use FedEx, Lufthansa Cargo, or Turkish Cargo services to ship goods from Turkey to the EU or the US by air.

Land freight from Turkey to the European Union

The EU Member States are connected with Turkey by land. It means that you can ship goods by road or by rail. When it comes to shipping by truck, the possibilities are almost endless. Rail connection between some of the Member States of the European Union and Turkey offers the Rail Cargo Group. From Köseköy and Istanbul, you can move goods to Budapest, Vienna, Hamburg, and more locations. The route takes around a week.

Some of the intermodal freight operators in the Turkey-the EU Member States relations are:

• Ekol Logistics
• Rail Cargo Group
• UN Ro-Ro
• Europe Intermodal.

Check more information on shipping from Turkey to the US and transportation from Turkey. You can compare multiple forwarders’ quotes on ShipHub.co for free.

 Major ports in Turkey

Their unique geographical location places them as major shipping partners of Germany and the UK. However, countries like Egypt and China also share a 0.46 and 0.41 connectivity index with Turkey.

1. Port of Haydarpaşa (Istanbul, Turkey)

• UN/Loco de: TRHAY
• Latitude: 41.002025°
• Longitude: 29.014765°

The port of Haydarpaşa serves as one of the oldest and most profitable within the Turkish limits. Its area extends over a range of 55 thousand square meters, giving it a large container handling ability. Before the rise of Mersin, this facility happens to be Turkey’s biggest for 2 decades.

At present, Haydarpaşa operates across 5 major terminals. A total of 22 berths for container and general cargo operations exist across various sizes. The establishment of this facility dates back to 1899 with modern cargo operations since 1922.

2. Port of Mersin (Mersin, Turkey)

• UN/Loco de: TRMER
• Latitude: 36.79745°
• Longitude: 34.65117°

The second oldest in the line, the port of Mersin in Turkey has numerous changes to its working. At present, it exceeds the Haydarpasa by amounting to 2.2 to 2.5 million TEU every year. Such large container traffic is a result of the location adjacent to the Mediterranean waters.

3. Port of Izmir (Umurbey, Turkey)

• UN/Loco de: TRIZM
• Latitude: 38.45704°
• Longitude: 27.15267°

The port of Izmir stands third in the order of size as well as longevity amongst the Turkish ports. Its start comes in the year 1959, operating in the Gulf of Izmir. The facility is spread through a big landmass of 902 thousand square meters, operating in container cargo.

4. Port of Eregli (Karadeniz Ereğli, Turkey)

• UN/Loco de: TRERE
• Latitude: 41.27529°
• Longitude: 31.409915°

Amongst the container-friendly major ports in Turkey, the port of Eregli is a major bulk-handling port. The facility has 2 major bulk terminals and 4 general cargo docks running 24 hours. The establishment of this small town stands in 560 BC, with major natural reserves of Coal.

5. Port of Ambarli (Beylikdüzü, Turkey)

• UN/Locode: TRAMR
• Latitude: 40.966755°
• Longitude: 28.689465°

The port of Ambarli serves a wide variety of bulk, liquid, and container cargo segments. Its establishment is off the port of Istanbul by under 25kms. The entire setup occupies an area of 10,000 square meters including operational and warehouse segments.

6. Port of Gemlik (Bursa, Turkey)

• UN/Loco de: TRGEM
• Latitude: 40.4274°
• Longitude: 29.11552°

The Gemlik Port outshines the rest in the zone as the pivot of all industrial imports. It supports the North and the South zone with incoming container trade and raw materials too. The port is set at an elevation of 22 meters from the normal level, giving it a challenging climate too.